The convergence of television and the internet continues. Recently introduced televisions (as well as various set-top boxes and Blu-Ray players) enable viewers to interact with “TV Widgets.”
As Yahoo explained in an introductory press release in August, 2008, the Widget Channel is a television application framework that allows consumers to enjoy rich Internet applications designed for the TV while watching their favorite TV programs. The technology includes the Yahoo! Widget Engine—an applications platform that enables TV watchers to interact with and enjoy a rich set of “TV Widgets,” or small Internet applications designed to complement and enhance the traditional TV watching experience and bring content, information and community features available on the Internet within easy reach of the remote control. The Widget Channel also allows developers to use Javascript®, XML, HTML and Adobe Flash® technology to write TV applications for the platform, extending the power and compatibility of PC application developer programs to TV and related consumer electronic devices.
Also supporting the initiative are Intel (whose Media Processor CE 3100 is used in initial implementations of the technology) and numerous partners who have authored widgets, including eBay, MySpace, CBS, AP News, The New York Times, Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster, CinemaNow, Showtime, USA TODAY, Pandora, Rhapsody, Twitter, CBS Sports Fantasy Football, Acdeo Funspot Games, and Flickr. Yahoo is also making its news, weather, video and finance web offerings available in widget form. Manufacturers that are supporting the Widget Channel applications framework in their television offerings include Samsung, Sony, LG, Toshiba and Vizio.
Intel and Yahoo provide a Widget Development Kit (WDK) to interested developers, CE manufactures, advertisers, and content publishers. Comcast has also developed TV Widgets for tru2way capable HDTVs in order to create a richer set-top-less environment. (Tru2way is a Java-based platform with open API specifications, built into various televisions, settop boxes, DVRs, etc., to enable interactive cable services such as electronic program guides, advertisements, games, chat, web browsing, etc.)
The widget functionality is launched by pressing a special button on the television's remote control, which brings up the TV Widget dock—an overlay bar presented along the bottom of the television screen, populated with user-selected widgets (FIG. 5). The user operates arrow keys on the remote control to navigate to a desired application, and then presses an Enter button on the remote to invoke the chosen widget.
When a widget is invoked, it typically opens up as a sidebar window on the screen. For example, the Flickr widget presents different photo albums, from which the user can select pictures to view (FIG. 6). A slideshow—consuming the entire television screen—can be launched, if desired.
The Blockbuster widget, when launched, streams a high-definition trailer for a movie. The AP News widget presents a crawling display at the bottom of the screen with news headlines from desired categories (local, international, business, etc.). The CinemaNow widget allows a user to navigate through indexes of movies to select a desired movie for on-demand web viewing on the television screen. The MySpace widget allows user to read messages, view photos, etc., in a screen-side display. The Ebay widget permits shopping, and monitoring of the user's auctions, etc.
The technology is being marketed, in part, as a way to permit internet browsing from the family television—without having a computer in the user's lap. As a Sony representative explained at CES 2009, “At home, my wife likes to surf the internet or watch weather, news and sports with her laptop while she's watching TV. Now she'll be able to accomplish those functions on the television set itself.” Continuing, the representative explained, “For customers who really like sports, and you're watching your favorite sports game and you have your computer going to follow other games, or you're doing it on a Blackberry-type device, now you'll be able to accomplish all of that in a very easy, user friendly fashion just on the screen of your Sony Bravia TV.”
Contrary to these stated views, applicant believes that use of a second screen while watching television offers advantages to users, rather than being a problem that should be eliminated. (Instead, applicant believes excessive use of a shared screen is the underlying problem that has doomed interactive TV experiences. Indeed, who blocked out the catcher in the baseball game of FIG. 6 to review family photos on Flickr?)
In accordance with one aspect of the technology, TV widgets can be transferred to a cell phone, where they can be enjoyed by a user without consuming space on the television screen, and distracting other viewers.
In accordance with another aspect, a widget running on the user's cell phone provides a richer experience than the widget running on the television screen. (Since others may be watching the television screen, widget software typically tries to economize use of the television screen space. Functionality is thereby impaired. The widget running on the user's small screen does not have the constraint of considering other viewers.)
In accordance with another aspect of the technology, a network-connected television uses network protocols to advertise widgets to other devices on the network (e.g., cell phones), which can then download same.
In accordance with still another aspect, a cell phone's text-entry user interface is invoked to input text to a widget running on a television.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the technology, a TV widget may be transferred to a cell phone through interaction with a non-network connected television.
The foregoing are just a few of the novel aspects of the present technology. These and other features and advantages will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.